MUSIC…I constantly get asked where I get my music from. I found Epidemic Sound to be the best. There’s a musician named ARTHUR BRUNSON, All my favorite songs are by him! share.epidemicsound.com/nxuhuy
I worked as a battery researcher for years. This video is mostly very accurate, but a couple things are incorrect or missed compared to my observations during that time. Charging when very cold can be another major damage factor for batteries. In most cases, i would suggest making sure batteries have warmed up to room temperature before charging. The faster the charge, the warmer the battery should be to charge without causing damage, so this is extra important when fast charging. Interestingly, heat doesn't seem to cause any extra wear when charging vs just being hot, although it's usually a good idea to let it cool down a little before charging if it's really hot. My observations from quickly cooling a battery down after discharge suggest that this is not a problem. I wouldn't worry about keeping them warm after a flight unless you are going to recharge them soon. Just as heat kills, storing them in a cool place extends their life. Not saying you need to go crazy with a freezer or anything like that, but maybe store in the basement. Just make sure to warm it up before charging if it's below room temperature! Hopefully this helps someone.
@@system4kfin.997 I don't have any data to reference, but if you avoid all the things that cause elevated damage and aren't putting on a crazy amount of cycles, I'd expect very little capacity loss. Likely over 90%.
There are TH-camrs trying to convince us of always buying tech as a MUST HAVE. And there is Ted showing us how to save money on the tech we already use with real world tips. Thanks buddy, this is what the community needs.👍👍👍
An interesting & insightful video! An anecdote! I had my Mavic 2 Zoom drone on a WayPoint mission, start a mission with 98% battery then about a minute into the flight over water suddenly on the screen comes up "battery critical landing". I pushed the left stick forward to get height & get home but to no avail, down into water goes the drone. I with snorkel gear swam out later that day & fished it out. Sent the drone & flight records down to DJI Australia & although out of warranty DJI replaced my drone. Very nice of them! Something else I do is number my batteries so that I cycle through them; this gives more uniformity of use.
Two and a half years after owning my Mini 2, I decided to fly it on a 100+ degree day and make a video about it. While I made the video, I discovered the tips that DJI has on their website and that you showed. I had never bothered to check these and now regret it because my batteries have begun to swell. Apparently DJI is ok with some swelling if it goes back down but my batteries are permanently obese. Thanks for reminding us of these great tips for preserving our batteries, Ted!
Hey Christian. Fancy running into you in a comment section! Unfortunately many of us learn battery care and feeding tips only after our existing batteries have started exhibiting symptoms of underlying problems. Better to learn late than never, of course, but I suspect DJI and others treat batteries as wear and tear items and only address issues when obvious defects are present. In general, if ANY consumer battery is endowed with Power Delivery -PD 3.0 is current but when Samsung Note 10 first shipped the 45W charging could only be achieved with PD 1.0, QC 2.0 -finding a charger that actually delivered a 45w equivalent rare was difficult and NOT standardized. These days, a PD charger that adheres to the standard will rarely if ever get you in trouble. You do NOT need to by OEM branded gear. But you SHOULD by quality gear that follows standards exactly... not "generally" lol. 😂😢😅
@@BlairAir Hey, John - Always glad to see your comments in the comments. 😄 I've only had two drones. My Mavic Air batteries were swollen within the first year. Was it all my fault. Probably not. Did DJI make improvements by the time the Mini 2 came along? Very likely. As Ted said, the chips are probably better as well as some of the other components. You and Ted also talk about using the right chargers. I'm totally guilty of not following the recommended battery tips but my Mini 2 batteries lasted three years despite all the neglect I gave them. I plan on continuing to fly my Mini 2 because there's nothing wrong with it and I might invest in some new generic batteries.
Excellent points, Ted! This set of issues applies across all sorts of lithium batteries, and it's an especially big deal with smart phones, since there are hundreds of millions of them kicking around. Even without temperature swings, keeping them fully charged for long periods can damage them, and a common manifestation of that damage is battery swelling (which a lot of drone owners experience, too). Smart phone makers are now incorporating software to keep batteries only mostly-charged most of the time, but DJI has more of a dilemma, since drone owners care a lot more about having their batteries fully charged in order to get the best flight time performance.
hey John! I appreciate you brother. Man I paid so little attention to proper battery care up until now. Like anything ….do something a few times and a good habit becomes second nature.
This is a great video everyone should see. I saw another video where guy quotes DJI manual that batteries auto discharge after 1 day to 96% and after 5 days to 72%, this is why when you go to fly your batteries are never at full charge. Then they tell you after 10 days to manually discharge to 40-65%. How do you do that? You would either have to use your two-way charging hub to charge other devices or go fly your drone. This manual discharge part seems a lacking feature or perhaps they will naturally get to ~50% level over time, but how long?
Great video! My only question is if you recommend to only use the DJI Battery charging hub with DJI chargers or can we use any pd charger with the correct voltages ?
hey buddy. There’s some pretty high quality Chinese aftermarket companies now. But I know I would personally stay away from any super cheap non-brand name batteries & chargers.
@@TedNemeth Okay Thanks! So basically only use DJI Battery charging hub with DJI PD chargers? I was using the DJI battery hub with a samsung fast charge PD.
Donovan! wow brother I’m super grateful for the support. Do you use a drone in your production work? Any topics you would like me to cover in a future episode?
I did not hear you mention the DJI auto discharge feature, at least the Mini 3pro batteries have it where if a charged battery sits unused for 6 days or so it will automatically discharge to 65%. I have had this happen where I picked up a battery and noticed it was warm, I checked it out and it was the auto discharge.
HEY! I have a mini 2. It's not a beater dtone😂 I love it! Been flying for a couple years with it. And I've never wished for more. Maybe someday I'll upgrade to more sensors, but I'm not in any hurry.
Ed! My Mini 2 is the piece of gear that changed my life & made flying cameras my career. I still fly it ever week. Welcome aboard to our flying camera crew
In case no one has told you lately Ted, you are a real asset to the entire drone community. I’ll stand up on the desk right now, no joke, like dead poets society.
As mentioned on your cheat sheet, I try to avoid fast charging by using a lower wattage charger. The only time I use the fast charge feature is when I need to "top it up" before going out flying and when travelling over multiple locations in the car
After purchasing a drone recently, I took one of your contemporaries advice that any 100 watt charger would do, and on his advice bought an after market charger, silly me, I should seriously know better, thanks for this story, much appreciated 🙏
nothing said about charging the battery directly in the drone ? I assume dJI 3 port charger has some sort of charge protection as well as sequencing the batteries . I have been using an apple C charger which is listed as 20w and the older usb port rated at 10 w the tiny usb port for cell phones is rated at 5 w . what is the recommendation for slow charging the DJI batteries
I’d been looking for some battery education! As I have three drones that use the same battery, (2-Mini 3s, and a Mini 4 Pro) battery life is unique for me. I like the 50% storage idea…As all of mine usually are charged back to 100% guess I better go fly to get them down to order! LOL Darn, gotta go fly…it’s recommended ya know!
It was Nickle Cadmium that had the issues with a memory, not just "Nickle". Nickel Metal Hydride are better and do not have that issue. If the DJI battery charger was really "Smart" it would use LifePo4 batteries and when charging, keep the charge between 10 and 90% with the option for slow charging. There would also be a button on the charger for storage every 3 months for draining or charging to 50% depending on wat capacity the battery was at, when you inserted it into the charger.
So you are saying…..basically these batteries suck. Not fully charged, not fully dead. Not in the heat not in the cold. Etc. I have to baby these things worse than my dog 🤷♂️
So when I get up in the morning and want to fly my drone the LAST thing that I want to do is sit around and charge my batteries. I keep them at 100% charged so I am ready to go and fly. So does that mean that they will not last as long? Maybe so. But I will go out and buy more batteries. I had the same batteries for my Mini 1 and Mini 2 for a few years and never had a problem and never had to replace them. Easy decision here. Do you want to charge or want to fly?
hey Michael. Yup i was the exact same way: little bits of battery info here & thar. I figured I need to put on my man-pants and learn this boring topic. I tried to make it playful for you.
Great summary. I've seen on another channel, the point being made that the smart battery can receive firmware updates. So, if you have a few batteries and there is a firmware update that includes the battery, you need to cycle each battery in the drone to get that udpate.
Ugh…I’ve been avoiding all this battery mumbo-jumbo… but yes time to take my head out of the sand and follow these recommendations. One question… for charging my batteries does DJI feel ok about charging our batteries in the mini 3pro itself…or prefer we use their dedicated charger ?!
yessss! i felt the same way about batteries…i was avoiding this topic for a long time. I just want to go outside & create. But after all my research I can tell you the 2 most important things are not letting them get crazy hot and secondly….don’t let them sit around at 100% or below 20%. Just those 2 things will prevent the majority of damage. I have a major confession here: i don’t own a DJI charger. I only charge the batteries while they’re inside the drone. I live out of my backpack so literally every ounce of weight savings is major. Is it bad to charge batteries inside the drone? Well I’m operating under the assumption that if DJI says its OK then i guess its OK.
Awesome… I had noticed my batteries would drain over time on their own after I would charge them to full and stow away…and didn’t realize that was normal and a good thing as you pointed out. Now with your and DJI’s recommendations I’ll need to follow best practices and get some more long term life out of these $94 batteries…ugh !
@@NEFKANO I saw another video where guy quotes DJI manual that batteries auto discharge after 1 day to 96% and after 5 days to 72%. Think that was Mini 2 others probably similar.
@@riskybusiness5 yup, can become a game of damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. But as Ted mentions most of the time, we need to keep our heads on the screen and what we’re trying to grab and less on the particulars. Although batteries at almost $100 a pop is a hell of a particular lol. ,
Outstanding video as always. I looked at your link to battery safety bags, I got some last year when I got my Mini 3 Pro and used them when taking them on a plane. I've also just got some for the Mavic 3 Pro that I've just acquired. What I found when looking for these bags is that you can get ones that hold multiple batteries, typically 3 or more. I just found it not only strange but actually stupid that you would want to contain a burning battery inside a bag with 2 [or more] other batteries, setting them on fire too! Each of my batteries has its own bag.
hey Michael. I agree with you. I was just researching about getting drones & gear through airport security and there’s a few airports (domestic and international) that require those specific LiPo bags. I’m going to get a small one for travel next year.
Yep, good stuff for sure. Lots of % can we trust the batterie's lights for a relative % ie 4 lights 100% 2 lights 50% or are you suggesting we connect to the controller to get more accurate percentages? The other issue i have is going put for the day and charging 3 batteries and only using 1 because if weather changes... how many non flight charges can a battery take. I am considering only charging 2 and rotating the third one in every other month?
Great info man, I've been letting my mini 2 sit in the closet for months at a time without charging it, going to get it out and give it a little juice. I used to race RC cars back in the day too, fun stuff!
I'm going to pick up one of those extinguishers, but one thing to remember is never let your battery charge unattended they can create a horrendous fire in a minute
I had a ‘74 Cuda with a 360….so I was close to full enlightenment anyway!!!! Great video as always! Guess I’ll go check those battery charge levels now!
no way! I say you reached full enlightenment. Man i watched your Goldwing crash! Wow that thing is a trooper. virtually no damage. You posting a new video soon? BTW….i just bought my dream bike last week. big reveal in next episode. fun fun.
first crash in 25 years (the GS offroad in the sand doesn’t count!!) so I’m beating the odds for sure 😄. I can’t wait, but I guess I’ll have to, to see what bike you chose. I’m truly happy for you Ted, and look forward to seeing you make it your own!! I got a Pocket3 for Christmas and that little thing is going to bring out the true videographer in me….I can feel it!! It’s been such a busy few weeks but hopefully I’ll come up with an idea for a new video soon!!
Even if you use a nonDJI charger, like a fast charger, I’ve noticed that the DJI battery charging hub will regulate how much energy it is taking in. Aohi has some cords show what is going in. So if you have a 140w charging block, 140w is not going out and amps are lower too.
Great tips, thanks. I have a Tenergy Balance Charger for my fixed-wing RC plane batteries and it has a 'discharge for storage' function. Is there any such animal for DJI batteries, or do you just discharge to 50% by flying the drone?
It’s automatic in the battery itself! Assuming it’s not plugged into the drone or the charger, the battery will self-discharge to a safe level (about 2/3) after several days.
It isn't about capacity, it's about the overall lifespan of the batteries. In other words, if you follow all the manufacturer's recommendations, as articulated so entertainingly here by Ted, the batteries may last, say, four years. If you don't, they may only last two years - or less.
Lots of good information. What I'm still not sure of is the most common actions when using the drone. Batteries are best stored at 50%, and if stored for extended periods, then do a full cycle at least once every three months. What is a full cycle exactly, drain to 10-20%, charge to 100%, drain to 50%? Or just charge to 100% and drain to 50% (doesn't sound like a "full cycle")? What about regular use. If the batteries are low, then you want to charge because storing low is very bad. Do you charge to 50% and then store, or should you charge to 100% and then drain to 50%? Does it matter, as long as you get to 50%? This isn't easy since both options require your attention. The Fly More charger for Mini 2 and 3 pro charge each battery in sequence to 100%, so you'd have to pull each battery around 50%. I've seen the charger sometimes switch which battery is getting charged and so to be safe you'd have to do one at a time. This seems particularly time consuming and would make me avoid using the drone. The most obvious solution is to charge from 50% to 100%, and only run each battery down to 50% before pulling. But that halves your flight time. Is there a set of practical and easy steps that treat your batteries well, while also making it convenient to use the drone?
I was told that it's lithium ion that DJI is using, not lipos. There's no memory when it comes to lithium ion. And the swelling usually happens with lipos when you're storing them overcharged or undercharged for a period of time. Hence the reason why they're using lithium ion batteries
Great info on the smart batteries. Thank You! Your pic of the Hemi Cuda is a 1970 model, not a 1971. Unless someone swapped the grills. I owned a 1970 AAR Cuda, and it had the same grill you have in your pic.
Gary you are the man! That must have put a smile on your face when you saw that little metaphor i put on the screen. You’re in AZ. Ever go to the Barrett Jackson auctions? They’re based in AZ yes?
I just saw an after market charger saying it only charges the batteries to %98-%99 to avoid over charge and it also has a storage mode that keeps them at %60. I wonder if this would be a good option based on the specs they claim.
Very good, Ted. Another tip: If you get a battery related warning on your controller screen, it might be time to ditch the battery. Happened to me with a Mini 2. I shrugged and ignored it after the message disappeared. Had a couple of good flights with no problem. Then out of the blue it dropped straight out of the sky landing right on the gimbal and destroying it.
Ted, thanks for the video...yeah...I've been doing crap wrong with my batteries. So, when I hike my dog Blitz carries the drone in his backpack long with the remote and spare batteries. I was setting up my shot and Blitz was being Blitz and chasing squirrels. Finished my shot, called Blitz over, saw I left his backpack unzipped and I lost 2 batteries. Well, that was a 160.00 mistake. Lol lesson learned.
@TedNemeth cheers. I'm from the UK, and the weather isn't the best 🤣 rain, wind, and some fog lol, so my batteries should last a while as long as I store them at around 50% charge. I wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for this video, after watching it, I unboxed my m3p and flew it around the living room until the batteries got to about 55%. Cheers, dude.
*Good info Ted 👍 For those people, including myself, permanently swollen batteries can still be used to charge other devices like phones using the adapter that came with the fly more package.*
Ted, I just wanna mention 2 more important things DJI recommends. Because of the swelling problem, don't only disconnect the charger relatively soon, also take out the batteries itself from the charger unit. Also: Don't let a fully charged battery in the drone if you don't use it for a longer time period.
Big mistake storing dji batteries at 50%, a dji battery at 0% battery (OSD) is at 3.5, so 10% to 0% is good storage voltage because without a load it'll be at 3.6 * 3.7
@@TedNemeth no I'm saying that whenever a DJI battery on the screen States 0% you are at 3.5 volts when storing a battery 3.7 is typically storage voltage so if you were to store batteries at 50% that would be too high of voltage. But regardless if its DJI batteries there's no sweat that's why so expensive 🤙
TED,,,What's good FAMILY... Long time no see.. Glad to see you back on the scene... Everything you said is true... Hears what I have learned.. I have the Charging Bricks for all of my DJI Drones... Those Bricks hold the Technology that DJI speaks of as far as talking care of the batteries.. They will fill up,, discharge, and I've never seen them drop below 50%... Still not everyone has the Bricks and should Definitely follow your advice on how to handle them!!!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Rating to this Information!!!!! I learned a few things I wasn't aware of.....
This info is identical to what we study in electronic engineering. Top tips. Use official charger or a good quality charger, do not keep bat at 10 or 90 to 100.. The dielectric is damaged and the batt then self discharge. Use it once in 3 months. Store at 60 percent that is optimal
You highlighted many great points about temperature range 32-104 degrees. I always thought it referred to the outdoor temp, but as you indicated its the battery temp which can be found in the safety menu. I have flow in 100 degree weather but never thought to check the battery temp as well. Thanks!
Always amazed at your abilities, Ted. You are the master. Only you could turn esoteric gobbeldygook into a fun and interesting video, and of course pass along the important messages at the same time. Thank you for covering this subject. //Tom
Got a question regarding the charging cord situation, I normally use my Apple USB C charger connected to a Apple USB C wall plug, is that going to affect the batteries?? I dont event recall a charger coming with my DJI drone but I'm sure there was one in there.
Thanks for the video. If i made this horrible mistake of leaving my batteries for a long period of time sitting without charging and their performance diminished, is there anyway to "improve" / revive them? 😨
I looked but couldn't spot it. Maybe it happed when I blinked! In any case, keep on keepin' on! This was the vid that propmted me to sub to your channel.@@TedNemeth
Thanks for the helpful video. I have a question: you said it's best to keep batteries charged at around 50% (and certainly not less than about 20%) when not in use, but how does one achieve this in practice? Since the DJI intelligent charger charges up all three batteries sequentially, it's not possible (or not easy, anyway) to charge them all up halfway and then unplug.
I haven’t used my Mavic mini one in a couple years. I just pulled it out now and I’m trying to charge the batteries and instead of the four lights flashing. It’s only going up to two, does this mean I only have half of a battery left? I had one battery in the drone and three in the hub. This sucks because I haven’t used the drone that much. Is there anyway to fix this? If I decide to get one or two non-DJI batteries, would that be better and cheaper? I wasn’t aware about this Battery maintenance thing, so if I do get a couple more, I’ll definitely have to keep that in mind
When I am programming or updating the drone I noticed it heating up and even shutting down, so now I have a portable fan blowing air into the face of the drone and that keeps it cool.
Something i did for charging is using a smart plug and setting a routine.....for example id say alexa and the name of the routine. In my case "charge" So when i say "alexa charge" the charger would turn on for the preset time then turn off automatically
OK..... only charge to 50/60% for storage - BUT what about when you haven't got a spare 4 or 5 hours to bring them up to full charge with that ( slower than molasses) DJI 2 or 3 battery charging brick thing ?
hey buddy! i would say to charge from 50% to 100% does not take 4 to 5 hours. I have a pretty slow charger and a 50% charge only takes about an hour. The other thing to remember….if you occasionally store a battery close to full or close to empty for a few days….it usually won’t cause damage. But if you do it every single time….for months and years….that’s when you’ll potentially be doing some damage.
Thank you for this excellent video. I have a habit of charging my batteries after a flight, trusting that they will discharge in gas I don't get a chance to fly for a few days. I've found that this works as often they're down to 3 bars when a few days have passed. In that case I recharge them before heading out, to get maximum flying time. This also means that they're usually down to about 20% after the flight. Am I damaging my batteries by charging them after a flight (until the charger stops)? Sometimes it's hard to know when the next flight is and I always like to be as ready as possible.
hey buddy. thank you for watching. I appreciate it. You asked if you are damaging your batteries by fully charging them then possibly letting them sit for a few days. I address that in the episode that DJI recommends not storing batteries at full charge. Will it damage the battery? not likely but possibly. DJI says the safest thing is to keep them at roughly 50%. Could be anywhere between like 30% to 70%. The whole point is not fully charged or fully discharged.
I purchased the mini 3 pro about 4 months ago.It’s a nice aircraft.When I got it home oi found that I had to go back to the shop (London Drugs)To buy a charging unit.Nowhere online and a phone call to DJI TECH was I informed of a DJI CHARGER.The phone call to the tech department told me I just needed a 30 watt charger for the battery packs and a 15 watt charger for the remote control.I asked where I bought the mini 3 and they didn’t know anything about the wattage of the chargers or the DJI branded chargers.
that’s the trend the last year or two….is manufacturers aren’t including chargers. Are you enjoying your Mini 3 Pro? I absolutely LOVE that drone. My favorite camera, second only to my LUMIX S5ii.
@Ted Nemeth 👍👍 THANKS! These are fantastic tips! I've been flying drones since 2016 and have learned to HATE Li-Po batteries because of their finicky charge/discharge/storage requirements. I honestly don't know why, other than maybe energy density and/or possibly higher allowable current draw, why Li-Po batteries have largely replaced long-lasting easy-to-maintain Li-Ion cells that have been used in laptops for years and years. My 2016 era then-very popular Hubsan H501S drone had Li-Po batteries and they were an extreme pain in the butt to maintain, to prevent damage. When I finally wore it out, in 2019 I bought a Mavic Mini (1) and was happy it came with Li-Ion batteries. Guess what, those 4-year-old batteries are still going strong even after long periods of storage. All I ever did to maintain them was to give them a full charge before and after flying and/or occasionally after long periods of inactivity. I just flew my Mini 1 again last week a couple of times in preparation for receiving a new Mini 4 Pro and those old batteries charged to 100% and performed perfectly. TBH I was shocked when the Mini 2 debuted and learned that DJI had switched to Li-Po cells. I was thinking WTF?! So this week I've been flying my brand new Mini 4 Pro, and love it, but worried how to properly maintain the Li-Po battery that came with it. I also just bought the severely overpriced DJI Mini 3 Plus 3850mAh battery. It was $105 USD on-sale here in Thailand!. Oh well, it performed great yesterday and hope it lasts a long time. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Thailand! 😁
Jimbo! congrats on your M4P. I hear it’s even quieter than the M3P,…which I think is very quiet. Ohhh man I miss Thailand. I’ve visited there several times. I’ll be returning to film for some charities in the somewhat near future. Are you located in the north or south?
@@TedNemeth Sawadee Krup - Don't know how it compares to the M3P, but the Mini 4 Pro is unbelievably quiet and much quieter than my Mini 1, which isn't very loud itself. Glad you like Thailand. I've been here for 18+ years and LOS has changed so much since I moved here in late 2005.😭 I live in Isaan, the rural northeast farming region. Right now I'm finishing the last step to (hopefully) get my M4P registered. Yep, all drones with a camera, no matter how small, have to be registered and insured! It's quite a pain in the backside as we have to go thru 2 government agencies, NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) and CAAT (Civilian Aviation Authority of Thailand) and also buy liability insurance (fairly cheap). BTW if you're planning on bringing your drone here, even as a tourist, you should register it and purchase insurance before you arrive. Penalties and fines are very stiff these days if you get caught flying without proof of either. It's a bit tedious but can be done completely online. Reply to this if you need more info.😁
I'm going to buy myself a Mini 3 for Xmas and thinking it might be best to get the 50 minute battery. I don't fly more than about 20 or 25 minutes anyway, so just use to half way and keep it that way until next flight.
Uf! It makes me less work to take care of my hamster and my dishwasher. I just want to fly my Mini 3 Pro to avoid going to the Psychiatrist. Greetings from Uruguay.
@@TedNemeth No, never was a racer or model plane flyer. Have watched the cars and planes here in San Diego. They have a club that has a strip by Sea World where we can practice with our drones.
@@TedNemeth going to Alaska and just found out I can't take my Mini 2 onboard. I told them I won't fly it while onboard only when I get off in ports. Sucks.
I my old DJI Mini2, if you stored the batteries in the charger, they would automatically discharge to a safe storage level. Do you know if it's also true on the New Mini4 ? (I assume it is).
When i received my new mini4 pro all the three batteries were total flat would not power up drone for initialising sign in etc... hope thats ok and normal out the box for new batteries
Question: You seem to fly your drone in and around Brooklyn a lot. What's your logic since flying drones in NYC is verboten? That notwithstanding, where are the best places to fly your drone with the least probability of a hassle?
Ha! Nice job diving into the exciting world of recharge DJI smart batteries! Riveting topic and you made it even more relatable. Nice job and all kidding aside, I deal with fat batteries and a constant rotation in this Cali heat. Ok, here's why I really commented. Any chance you'd want to share your knowledge and insights on FAA airspace, remote ID, Geo-Fencing la la la. I know, again, a very sexy topic but like you, dealing with this in a large metro, I am constantly requesting 0 alt. and airspace waivers here in The Basin. Just a thought. Really enjoy your channel.
MUSIC…I constantly get asked where I get my music from. I found Epidemic Sound to be the best. There’s a musician named ARTHUR BRUNSON, All my favorite songs are by him!
share.epidemicsound.com/nxuhuy
I never ask anyone about their music.
I worked as a battery researcher for years. This video is mostly very accurate, but a couple things are incorrect or missed compared to my observations during that time.
Charging when very cold can be another major damage factor for batteries. In most cases, i would suggest making sure batteries have warmed up to room temperature before charging. The faster the charge, the warmer the battery should be to charge without causing damage, so this is extra important when fast charging. Interestingly, heat doesn't seem to cause any extra wear when charging vs just being hot, although it's usually a good idea to let it cool down a little before charging if it's really hot.
My observations from quickly cooling a battery down after discharge suggest that this is not a problem. I wouldn't worry about keeping them warm after a flight unless you are going to recharge them soon.
Just as heat kills, storing them in a cool place extends their life. Not saying you need to go crazy with a freezer or anything like that, but maybe store in the basement. Just make sure to warm it up before charging if it's below room temperature!
Hopefully this helps someone.
Theoretically how much a properly stored “latest” DJI battery will lose in 3-4 years?
@@system4kfin.997 I don't have any data to reference, but if you avoid all the things that cause elevated damage and aren't putting on a crazy amount of cycles, I'd expect very little capacity loss. Likely over 90%.
There are TH-camrs trying to convince us of always buying tech as a MUST HAVE. And there is Ted showing us how to save money on the tech we already use with real world tips. Thanks buddy, this is what the community needs.👍👍👍
Thorsten I appreciate it brother. I tried to make this kinda boring topic playful.
@ThorstenAltmann - totally agree! 🤙
An interesting & insightful video! An anecdote! I had my Mavic 2 Zoom drone on a WayPoint mission, start a mission with 98% battery then about a minute into the flight over water suddenly on the screen comes up "battery critical landing". I pushed the left stick forward to get height & get home but to no avail, down into water goes the drone. I with snorkel gear swam out later that day & fished it out. Sent the drone & flight records down to DJI Australia & although out of warranty DJI replaced my drone. Very nice of them! Something else I do is number my batteries so that I cycle through them; this gives more uniformity of use.
Yeah I number mine for the same reason.
Two and a half years after owning my Mini 2, I decided to fly it on a 100+ degree day and make a video about it. While I made the video, I discovered the tips that DJI has on their website and that you showed. I had never bothered to check these and now regret it because my batteries have begun to swell. Apparently DJI is ok with some swelling if it goes back down but my batteries are permanently obese. Thanks for reminding us of these great tips for preserving our batteries, Ted!
Hey Christian. Fancy running into you in a comment section! Unfortunately many of us learn battery care and feeding tips only after our existing batteries have started exhibiting symptoms of underlying problems. Better to learn late than never, of course, but I suspect DJI and others treat batteries as wear and tear items and only address issues when obvious defects are present. In general, if ANY consumer battery is endowed with Power Delivery -PD 3.0 is current but when Samsung Note 10 first shipped the 45W charging could only be achieved with PD 1.0, QC 2.0 -finding a charger that actually delivered a 45w equivalent rare was difficult and NOT standardized. These days, a PD charger that adheres to the standard will rarely if ever get you in trouble. You do NOT need to by OEM branded gear. But you SHOULD by quality gear that follows standards exactly... not "generally" lol. 😂😢😅
@@BlairAir Hey, John - Always glad to see your comments in the comments. 😄 I've only had two drones. My Mavic Air batteries were swollen within the first year. Was it all my fault. Probably not. Did DJI make improvements by the time the Mini 2 came along? Very likely. As Ted said, the chips are probably better as well as some of the other components. You and Ted also talk about using the right chargers. I'm totally guilty of not following the recommended battery tips but my Mini 2 batteries lasted three years despite all the neglect I gave them. I plan on continuing to fly my Mini 2 because there's nothing wrong with it and I might invest in some new generic batteries.
This is good advice for ANY LI Ion rechargeable battery. including your cell phone or laptop.
Excellent points, Ted! This set of issues applies across all sorts of lithium batteries, and it's an especially big deal with smart phones, since there are hundreds of millions of them kicking around. Even without temperature swings, keeping them fully charged for long periods can damage them, and a common manifestation of that damage is battery swelling (which a lot of drone owners experience, too). Smart phone makers are now incorporating software to keep batteries only mostly-charged most of the time, but DJI has more of a dilemma, since drone owners care a lot more about having their batteries fully charged in order to get the best flight time performance.
hey John! I appreciate you brother. Man I paid so little attention to proper battery care up until now. Like anything ….do something a few times and a good habit becomes second nature.
This is a great video everyone should see. I saw another video where guy quotes DJI manual that batteries auto discharge after 1 day to 96% and after 5 days to 72%, this is why when you go to fly your batteries are never at full charge. Then they tell you after 10 days to manually discharge to 40-65%. How do you do that? You would either have to use your two-way charging hub to charge other devices or go fly your drone. This manual discharge part seems a lacking feature or perhaps they will naturally get to ~50% level over time, but how long?
Same question re how to discharge
Ahhh I see he answered the discharge question below in another post -
Great video!
My only question is if you recommend to only use the DJI Battery charging hub with DJI chargers or can we use any pd charger with the correct voltages ?
hey buddy. There’s some pretty high quality Chinese aftermarket companies now. But I know I would personally stay away from any super cheap non-brand name batteries & chargers.
@@TedNemeth Okay Thanks! So basically only use DJI Battery charging hub with DJI PD chargers? I was using the DJI battery hub with a samsung fast charge PD.
You're a frikkin' legend, mate.
I just walked upstairs to unplug my iPad and laptop
They’ve been plugged in for days! Good tip Haywire
you have an “upstairs”? ….you must be one of those fancy people i hear about.
You actually do not need to remove your laptop charger even when the battery is full. The BMS is way smarter these days.
@@TedNemeth🎁🙏
@@TedNemeth😂
Yes Beater drone
I’m looking or thinking about passing along my mini 2….
But I might keep it as the beater.
ohh i highly suggest keeping your Mini 2.
I honestly fly it more than my my M3P.
I love it so much. Just more relaxed and fun flying a beater drone.
Thanks!
Donovan! wow brother I’m super grateful for the support. Do you use a drone in your production work? Any topics you would like me to cover in a future episode?
I did not hear you mention the DJI auto discharge feature, at least the Mini 3pro batteries have it where if a charged battery sits unused for 6 days or so it will automatically discharge to 65%.
I have had this happen where I picked up a battery and noticed it was warm, I checked it out and it was the auto discharge.
HEY! I have a mini 2. It's not a beater dtone😂 I love it! Been flying for a couple years with it. And I've never wished for more. Maybe someday I'll upgrade to more sensors, but I'm not in any hurry.
Ed! My Mini 2 is the piece of gear that changed my life & made flying cameras my career. I still fly it ever week.
Welcome aboard to our flying camera crew
In case no one has told you lately Ted, you are a real asset to the entire drone community. I’ll stand up on the desk right now, no joke, like dead poets society.
William! man I’m super grateful you’re part of the community here. Love your spirit. And thank you for the kind words brother.
As mentioned on your cheat sheet, I try to avoid fast charging by using a lower wattage charger. The only time I use the fast charge feature is when I need to "top it up" before going out flying and when travelling over multiple locations in the car
This is True,,, I like the way you think PILOT!!!
After purchasing a drone recently, I took one of your contemporaries advice that any 100 watt charger would do, and on his advice bought an after market charger, silly me, I should seriously know better, thanks for this story, much appreciated 🙏
nothing said about charging the battery directly in the drone ? I assume dJI 3 port charger has some sort of charge protection as well as sequencing the batteries . I have been using an apple C charger which is listed as 20w and the older usb port rated at 10 w the tiny usb port for cell phones is rated at 5 w . what is the recommendation for slow charging the DJI batteries
Well done Ted...!
Good, sound advice beautifully presented.
As always, thanks
I’d been looking for some battery education! As I have three drones that use the same battery, (2-Mini 3s, and a Mini 4 Pro) battery life is unique for me. I like the 50% storage idea…As all of mine usually are charged back to 100% guess I better go fly to get them down to order! LOL Darn, gotta go fly…it’s recommended ya know!
It was Nickle Cadmium that had the issues with a memory, not just "Nickle". Nickel Metal Hydride are better and do not have that issue. If the DJI battery charger was really "Smart" it would use LifePo4 batteries and when charging, keep the charge between 10 and 90% with the option for slow charging. There would also be a button on the charger for storage every 3 months for draining or charging to 50% depending on wat capacity the battery was at, when you inserted it into the charger.
So you are saying…..basically these batteries suck. Not fully charged, not fully dead. Not in the heat not in the cold. Etc. I have to baby these things worse than my dog 🤷♂️
Pretty much all lithium batteries are like that
So when I get up in the morning and want to fly my drone the LAST thing that I want to do is sit around and charge my batteries. I keep them at 100% charged so I am ready to go and fly. So does that mean that they will not last as long? Maybe so. But I will go out and buy more batteries. I had the same batteries for my Mini 1 and Mini 2 for a few years and never had a problem and never had to replace them. Easy decision here. Do you want to charge or want to fly?
hey buddy! I understand your point. You don’t always have time to charge right before you want go flying.
Everything you said is spot on. Couldn’t have added anything. This is very valuable info for people that don’t know.
I have heard bits & pieces about battery care over the years but your video pulls it all together. Great stuff as usual Ted 🙏
hey Michael. Yup i was the exact same way: little bits of battery info here & thar. I figured I need to put on my man-pants and learn this boring topic. I tried to make it playful for you.
Great summary.
I've seen on another channel, the point being made that the smart battery can receive firmware updates. So, if you have a few batteries and there is a firmware update that includes the battery, you need to cycle each battery in the drone to get that udpate.
Ugh…I’ve been avoiding all this battery mumbo-jumbo… but yes time to take my head out of the sand and follow these recommendations. One question… for charging my batteries does DJI feel ok about charging our batteries in the mini 3pro itself…or prefer we use their dedicated charger ?!
yessss! i felt the same way about batteries…i was avoiding this topic for a long time. I just want to go outside & create.
But after all my research I can tell you the 2 most important things are not letting them get crazy hot and secondly….don’t let them sit around at 100% or below 20%. Just those 2 things will prevent the majority of damage.
I have a major confession here: i don’t own a DJI charger. I only charge the batteries while they’re inside the drone. I live out of my backpack so literally every ounce of weight savings is major.
Is it bad to charge batteries inside the drone? Well I’m operating under the assumption that if DJI says its OK then i guess its OK.
Awesome… I had noticed my batteries would drain over time on their own after I would charge them to full and stow away…and didn’t realize that was normal and a good thing as you pointed out. Now with your and DJI’s recommendations I’ll need to follow best practices and get some more long term life out of these $94 batteries…ugh !
@@NEFKANO I saw another video where guy quotes DJI manual that batteries auto discharge after 1 day to 96% and after 5 days to 72%. Think that was Mini 2 others probably similar.
@@riskybusiness5 yup, can become a game of damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. But as Ted mentions most of the time, we need to keep our heads on the screen and what we’re trying to grab and less on the particulars. Although batteries at almost $100 a pop is a hell of a particular lol.
,
Outstanding video as always.
I looked at your link to battery safety bags, I got some last year when I got my Mini 3 Pro and used them when taking them on a plane. I've also just got some for the Mavic 3 Pro that I've just acquired. What I found when looking for these bags is that you can get ones that hold multiple batteries, typically 3 or more. I just found it not only strange but actually stupid that you would want to contain a burning battery inside a bag with 2 [or more] other batteries, setting them on fire too! Each of my batteries has its own bag.
hey Michael. I agree with you. I was just researching about getting drones & gear through airport security and there’s a few airports (domestic and international) that require those specific LiPo bags. I’m going to get a small one for travel next year.
It would be nice if DJI had a maintenance program for the charger for long term storage with a setting just for that .
Another awesome guide! Thanks for doing all the leg work!
right on David. Thanks for watching and saying howdy
Yep, good stuff for sure.
Lots of % can we trust the batterie's lights for a relative % ie 4 lights 100% 2 lights 50% or are you suggesting we connect to the controller to get more accurate percentages?
The other issue i have is going put for the day and charging 3 batteries and only using 1 because if weather changes... how many non flight charges can a battery take. I am considering only charging 2 and rotating the third one in every other month?
Great info man, I've been letting my mini 2 sit in the closet for months at a time without charging it, going to get it out and give it a little juice. I used to race RC cars back in the day too, fun stuff!
I'm going to pick up one of those extinguishers, but one thing to remember is never let your battery charge unattended they can create a horrendous fire in a minute
I had a ‘74 Cuda with a 360….so I was close to full enlightenment anyway!!!!
Great video as always! Guess I’ll go check those battery charge levels now!
no way! I say you reached full enlightenment. Man i watched your Goldwing crash! Wow that thing is a trooper. virtually no damage. You posting a new video soon? BTW….i just bought my dream bike last week. big reveal in next episode. fun fun.
first crash in 25 years (the GS offroad in the sand doesn’t count!!) so I’m beating the odds for sure 😄. I can’t wait, but I guess I’ll have to, to see what bike you chose. I’m truly happy for you Ted, and look forward to seeing you make it your own!!
I got a Pocket3 for Christmas and that little thing is going to bring out the true videographer in me….I can feel it!! It’s been such a busy few weeks but hopefully I’ll come up with an idea for a new video soon!!
Even if you use a nonDJI charger, like a fast charger, I’ve noticed that the DJI battery charging hub will regulate how much energy it is taking in. Aohi has some cords show what is going in. So if you have a 140w charging block, 140w is not going out and amps are lower too.
Another round of killer tips.
Great tips, thanks. I have a Tenergy Balance Charger for my fixed-wing RC plane batteries and it has a 'discharge for storage' function. Is there any such animal for DJI batteries, or do you just discharge to 50% by flying the drone?
It’s automatic in the battery itself! Assuming it’s not plugged into the drone or the charger, the battery will self-discharge to a safe level (about 2/3) after several days.
I often keep the batteries at 100% and I haven't noticed any decrease in their capacity. I have the Mini 2 for 10 months.
It isn't about capacity, it's about the overall lifespan of the batteries. In other words, if you follow all the manufacturer's recommendations, as articulated so entertainingly here by Ted, the batteries may last, say, four years. If you don't, they may only last two years - or less.
Lots of good information. What I'm still not sure of is the most common actions when using the drone. Batteries are best stored at 50%, and if stored for extended periods, then do a full cycle at least once every three months. What is a full cycle exactly, drain to 10-20%, charge to 100%, drain to 50%? Or just charge to 100% and drain to 50% (doesn't sound like a "full cycle")? What about regular use. If the batteries are low, then you want to charge because storing low is very bad. Do you charge to 50% and then store, or should you charge to 100% and then drain to 50%? Does it matter, as long as you get to 50%? This isn't easy since both options require your attention. The Fly More charger for Mini 2 and 3 pro charge each battery in sequence to 100%, so you'd have to pull each battery around 50%. I've seen the charger sometimes switch which battery is getting charged and so to be safe you'd have to do one at a time. This seems particularly time consuming and would make me avoid using the drone. The most obvious solution is to charge from 50% to 100%, and only run each battery down to 50% before pulling. But that halves your flight time. Is there a set of practical and easy steps that treat your batteries well, while also making it convenient to use the drone?
Thanks for the great information
I was told that it's lithium ion that DJI is using, not lipos. There's no memory when it comes to lithium ion. And the swelling usually happens with lipos when you're storing them overcharged or undercharged for a period of time. Hence the reason why they're using lithium ion batteries
Hi Ted... Thank you for these very good tips buddy... 👍👍😉🤪
Can’t fly without them mate excellent tips
yeah mate!
Great info on the smart batteries. Thank You! Your pic of the Hemi Cuda is a 1970 model, not a 1971. Unless someone swapped the grills. I owned a 1970 AAR Cuda, and it had the same grill you have in your pic.
Gary you are the man! That must have put a smile on your face when you saw that little metaphor i put on the screen. You’re in AZ. Ever go to the Barrett Jackson auctions? They’re based in AZ yes?
I just saw an after market charger saying it only charges the batteries to %98-%99 to avoid over charge and it also has a storage mode that keeps them at %60. I wonder if this would be a good option based on the specs they claim.
Very good, Ted. Another tip: If you get a battery related warning on your controller screen, it might be time to ditch the battery. Happened to me with a Mini 2. I shrugged and ignored it after the message disappeared. Had a couple of good flights with no problem. Then out of the blue it dropped straight out of the sky landing right on the gimbal and destroying it.
yes absolutely Charles. Thank you for being part of the FLYING CAMERA CREW here!
Ted, thanks for the video...yeah...I've been doing crap wrong with my batteries. So, when I hike my dog Blitz carries the drone in his backpack long with the remote and spare batteries. I was setting up my shot and Blitz was being Blitz and chasing squirrels. Finished my shot, called Blitz over, saw I left his backpack unzipped and I lost 2 batteries. Well, that was a 160.00 mistake. Lol lesson learned.
i love chasing squirrels too! …i mean dang sorry to hear you lost your batteries. Expensive little buggers.
Awesome video, I've just got my first drone. It's a DJI mini 3 Pro. Do you know how many charges the battery will take on average.
dude congrats on your new M3P! You got a champ there. I think I saw a range of 200 to 400 cycles depending on health habits.
@TedNemeth cheers. I'm from the UK, and the weather isn't the best 🤣 rain, wind, and some fog lol, so my batteries should last a while as long as I store them at around 50% charge. I wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for this video, after watching it, I unboxed my m3p and flew it around the living room until the batteries got to about 55%. Cheers, dude.
I have a 71 Cuda and changing the oil in the radiator system is essential to the longevity of your engine..
What RC cars did you race? I raced a Tamiya Fox, and SuperShot (still have that one!)
That was sweet!!! You are the Smooth Operator when it comes to showing your skills and your passion shines through
Great info, I could not find anything of the controllers battery life, any suggestions, should we also keep it at 50% when not using for a few months?
hey Jim. Correct….keep the controller battery around 50% also for long term non-use
I've loved Hemi Cuda's since I was too young to drive.
you got style my brother. thank you for joining the gang here.
*Good info Ted 👍 For those people, including myself, permanently swollen batteries can still be used to charge other devices like phones using the adapter that came with the fly more package.*
David! How cool to see you here man. Many thanks. And that’s a great tip.
Ted, I just wanna mention 2 more important things DJI recommends. Because of the swelling problem, don't only disconnect the charger relatively soon, also take out the batteries itself from the charger unit. Also: Don't let a fully charged battery in the drone if you don't use it for a longer time period.
Yes! thanks for adding that Thorsten brother man.
They actually fixed that problem with a firmware update. You no longer need to take the batteries out of the charger.
Okay thank you, good to know@@HeavyInstinct
Great video, thanks. The only point I can add is that the Mini3 and Mini3Pro batteries are Lithium-Ion and not Lithium-Polymer ;)
Love your videos, man!
Big mistake storing dji batteries at 50%, a dji battery at 0% battery (OSD) is at 3.5, so 10% to 0% is good storage voltage because without a load it'll be at 3.6 * 3.7
so you’re saying the manufacturer (DJI) is wrong.
@@TedNemeth no I'm saying that whenever a DJI battery on the screen States 0% you are at 3.5 volts when storing a battery 3.7 is typically storage voltage so if you were to store batteries at 50% that would be too high of voltage. But regardless if its DJI batteries there's no sweat that's why so expensive 🤙
TED,,,What's good FAMILY... Long time no see.. Glad to see you back on the scene... Everything you said is true... Hears what I have learned.. I have the Charging Bricks for all of my DJI Drones... Those Bricks hold the Technology that DJI speaks of as far as talking care of the batteries.. They will fill up,, discharge, and I've never seen them drop below 50%... Still not everyone has the Bricks and should Definitely follow your advice on how to handle them!!!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Rating to this Information!!!!! I learned a few things I wasn't aware of.....
hey Jonathan great to see you man. Loved ur last A2S vid. Great spot you got.
Great tips I lost a Mavic Air battery it was left in my car probably 5 minutes by I realized I was missing a battery the damage was already done.
This info is identical to what we study in electronic engineering. Top tips. Use official charger or a good quality charger, do not keep bat at 10 or 90 to 100.. The dielectric is damaged and the batt then self discharge. Use it once in 3 months. Store at 60 percent that is optimal
thank you Ted. This was a very valuable and informative video 🙏- Kenny
You highlighted many great points about temperature range 32-104 degrees. I always thought it referred to the outdoor temp, but as you indicated its the battery temp which can be found in the safety menu. I have flow in 100 degree weather but never thought to check the battery temp as well. Thanks!
Always amazed at your abilities, Ted. You are the master. Only you could turn esoteric gobbeldygook into a fun and interesting video, and of course pass along the important messages at the same time. Thank you for covering this subject. //Tom
Got a question regarding the charging cord situation, I normally use my Apple USB C charger connected to a Apple USB C wall plug, is that going to affect the batteries?? I dont event recall a charger coming with my DJI drone but I'm sure there was one in there.
That’s perfectly fine. USB-C is just the power source, the secret sauce is in the hub.
Thanks for the video. If i made this horrible mistake of leaving my batteries for a long period of time sitting without charging and their performance diminished, is there anyway to "improve" / revive them? 😨
Great tips to prolong the life of those expensive batteries Ted! Thanks for putting this together.
At 3:48, did you plant an "Easter Egg" with a mug-shot of Ken Heron in the sun? Excellent video on battery care, BTW. Very informative! Thank you.
you caught that! There’s another egg in the episode. Its toward the very beginning and only for 1 frame.
I looked but couldn't spot it. Maybe it happed when I blinked! In any case, keep on keepin' on! This was the vid that propmted me to sub to your channel.@@TedNemeth
what is the minium power to maximum power of a charger that can be used , i always charge mini 4 chrage hub three batteries all at once
Curious, in what other countries is the accessory available? ?🧐
Thanks for the helpful video. I have a question: you said it's best to keep batteries charged at around 50% (and certainly not less than about 20%) when not in use, but how does one achieve this in practice? Since the DJI intelligent charger charges up all three batteries sequentially, it's not possible (or not easy, anyway) to charge them all up halfway and then unplug.
Exactly!
Thank you for another great video!!
Marcell i really appreciate it my friend.
I haven’t used my Mavic mini one in a couple years. I just pulled it out now and I’m trying to charge the batteries and instead of the four lights flashing. It’s only going up to two, does this mean I only have half of a battery left? I had one battery in the drone and three in the hub. This sucks because I haven’t used the drone that much. Is there anyway to fix this? If I decide to get one or two non-DJI batteries, would that be better and cheaper? I wasn’t aware about this Battery maintenance thing, so if I do get a couple more, I’ll definitely have to keep that in mind
When I am programming or updating the drone I noticed it heating up and even shutting down, so now I have a portable fan blowing air into the face of the drone and that keeps it cool.
ahhhh right on. Good tip.
i got a lipo bag for my mini 4 batteries. not sure how well it works for containing a fire but its a good case at least.
yup seems like a good idea. Some airlines require it.
@@TedNemeth it was only 10 bucks and fits 3 batteries in their own compartment
Something i did for charging is using a smart plug and setting a routine.....for example id say alexa and the name of the routine. In my case "charge"
So when i say "alexa charge" the charger would turn on for the preset time then turn off automatically
OK..... only charge to 50/60% for storage - BUT what about when you haven't got a spare 4 or 5 hours to bring them up to full charge with that ( slower than molasses) DJI 2 or 3 battery charging brick thing ?
hey buddy! i would say to charge from 50% to 100% does not take 4 to 5 hours. I have a pretty slow charger and a 50% charge only takes about an hour. The other thing to remember….if you occasionally store a battery close to full or close to empty for a few days….it usually won’t cause damage. But if you do it every single time….for months and years….that’s when you’ll potentially be doing some damage.
Thank you for this excellent video. I have a habit of charging my batteries after a flight, trusting that they will discharge in gas I don't get a chance to fly for a few days. I've found that this works as often they're down to 3 bars when a few days have passed. In that case I recharge them before heading out, to get maximum flying time. This also means that they're usually down to about 20% after the flight. Am I damaging my batteries by charging them after a flight (until the charger stops)? Sometimes it's hard to know when the next flight is and I always like to be as ready as possible.
hey buddy. thank you for watching. I appreciate it. You asked if you are damaging your batteries by fully charging them then possibly letting them sit for a few days. I address that in the episode that DJI recommends not storing batteries at full charge. Will it damage the battery? not likely but possibly. DJI says the safest thing is to keep them at roughly 50%. Could be anywhere between like 30% to 70%. The whole point is not fully charged or fully discharged.
Great work on this information. I have been looking for this info. Carl
I purchased the mini 3 pro about 4 months ago.It’s a nice aircraft.When I got it home oi found that I had to go back to the shop (London Drugs)To buy a charging unit.Nowhere online and a phone call to DJI TECH was I informed of a DJI CHARGER.The phone call to the tech department told me I just needed a 30 watt charger for the battery packs and a 15 watt charger for the remote control.I asked where I bought the mini 3 and they didn’t know anything about the wattage of the chargers or the DJI branded chargers.
that’s the trend the last year or two….is manufacturers aren’t including chargers. Are you enjoying your Mini 3 Pro? I absolutely LOVE that drone. My favorite camera, second only to my LUMIX S5ii.
Very informative. Thank you Ted, you da man.
You caught the blood moon! great shot brother.
@@TedNemeth Yes sir, thank you
@Ted Nemeth 👍👍 THANKS! These are fantastic tips! I've been flying drones since 2016 and have learned to HATE Li-Po batteries because of their finicky charge/discharge/storage requirements. I honestly don't know why, other than maybe energy density and/or possibly higher allowable current draw, why Li-Po batteries have largely replaced long-lasting easy-to-maintain Li-Ion cells that have been used in laptops for years and years.
My 2016 era then-very popular Hubsan H501S drone had Li-Po batteries and they were an extreme pain in the butt to maintain, to prevent damage. When I finally wore it out, in 2019 I bought a Mavic Mini (1) and was happy it came with Li-Ion batteries. Guess what, those 4-year-old batteries are still going strong even after long periods of storage. All I ever did to maintain them was to give them a full charge before and after flying and/or occasionally after long periods of inactivity. I just flew my Mini 1 again last week a couple of times in preparation for receiving a new Mini 4 Pro and those old batteries charged to 100% and performed perfectly. TBH I was shocked when the Mini 2 debuted and learned that DJI had switched to Li-Po cells. I was thinking WTF?!
So this week I've been flying my brand new Mini 4 Pro, and love it, but worried how to properly maintain the Li-Po battery that came with it. I also just bought the severely overpriced DJI Mini 3 Plus 3850mAh battery. It was $105 USD on-sale here in Thailand!. Oh well, it performed great yesterday and hope it lasts a long time.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Thailand! 😁
Jimbo! congrats on your M4P. I hear it’s even quieter than the M3P,…which I think is very quiet. Ohhh man I miss Thailand. I’ve visited there several times. I’ll be returning to film for some charities in the somewhat near future. Are you located in the north or south?
@@TedNemeth Sawadee Krup - Don't know how it compares to the M3P, but the Mini 4 Pro is unbelievably quiet and much quieter than my Mini 1, which isn't very loud itself. Glad you like Thailand. I've been here for 18+ years and LOS has changed so much since I moved here in late 2005.😭 I live in Isaan, the rural northeast farming region. Right now I'm finishing the last step to (hopefully) get my M4P registered. Yep, all drones with a camera, no matter how small, have to be registered and insured! It's quite a pain in the backside as we have to go thru 2 government agencies, NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) and CAAT (Civilian Aviation Authority of Thailand) and also buy liability insurance (fairly cheap).
BTW if you're planning on bringing your drone here, even as a tourist, you should register it and purchase insurance before you arrive. Penalties and fines are very stiff these days if you get caught flying without proof of either. It's a bit tedious but can be done completely online. Reply to this if you need more info.😁
i love your work and your are a great person
one little thing about chargers- on the air 3 there is no charger delivered with the product.
I'm going to buy myself a Mini 3 for Xmas and thinking it might be best to get the 50 minute battery. I don't fly more than about 20 or 25 minutes anyway, so just use to half way and keep it that way until next flight.
congrats on getting a Mini 3! What are you currently flying?
Long story short, read the manual.
Still have my original Batts from 2021 on the Air 2S still sending it flawlessly and no swelling.
Very well made and useful video.
Uf!
It makes me less work to take care of my hamster and my dishwasher.
I just want to fly my Mini 3 Pro to avoid going to the Psychiatrist.
Greetings from Uruguay.
So what charges do you use for the Mini 3 they don't come with a charger
wood strong wind also cool more?
Man it’s been so long sense I’ve seen that car, way to flash me back.
Great info, thanks for sharing. Can’t wait for your next one.
Dennis did you race back in the day? The RC-10 was/is legend. They actually have huge vintage RC races and meet-ups and channels etc.
@@TedNemeth No, never was a racer or model plane flyer. Have watched the cars and planes here in San Diego. They have a club that has a strip by Sea World where we can practice with our drones.
@@TedNemeth going to Alaska and just found out I can't take my Mini 2 onboard. I told them I won't fly it while onboard only when I get off in ports. Sucks.
I my old DJI Mini2, if you stored the batteries in the charger, they would automatically discharge to a safe storage level. Do you know if it's also true on the New Mini4 ? (I assume it is).
Quite possibly one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
i like your style Greg
@@TedNemeth Not bad for a mad Scotsman eh? Seriously though, it's right up there with the DB5 but beautiful in it's own way.
DJI needs to add a feature to there dedicated chargers that adds the ability to stop charging at 80 percent
When i received my new mini4 pro all the three batteries were total flat would not power up drone for initialising sign in etc... hope thats ok and normal out the box for new batteries
Thanks for the contribution to the community, Greetings from Mexico my friend Ted.
Question: You seem to fly your drone in and around Brooklyn a lot. What's your logic since flying drones in NYC is verboten? That notwithstanding, where are the best places to fly your drone with the least probability of a hassle?
10:21 i got 63C mid flight in only 23C is there anything im doing wrong? I flew in sport mode
another great vid Ted
Roger! thank you brother.
Ha! Nice job diving into the exciting world of recharge DJI smart batteries! Riveting topic and you made it even more relatable. Nice job and all kidding aside, I deal with fat batteries and a constant rotation in this Cali heat. Ok, here's why I really commented. Any chance you'd want to share your knowledge and insights on FAA airspace, remote ID, Geo-Fencing la la la. I know, again, a very sexy topic but like you, dealing with this in a large metro, I am constantly requesting 0 alt. and airspace waivers here in The Basin. Just a thought. Really enjoy your channel.
Sorry did I miss the cheat sheet and where can download it?